Fourteen Law Enforcement Officers Among 20 Arrested in the State of Mississippi Narcotics Corruption Operation
Fourteen current and former law-enforcement officers are among twenty individuals charged arrested in the states of Mississippi and Tennessee for accepting bribes from drug traffickers in exchange for police protection, in what officials labeled "a monumental betrayal of the community's confidence".
The arrests come after a years-long investigation by national law enforcement who posed as narcotics dealers. Among those charged were county sheriffs from Mississippi.
National authorities initiated the sting after hearing complaints from real narcotics criminals about having to pay corrupt payments to police members.
The bribery network allegedly extended beyond the Mississippi Delta region into Memphis, Tennessee, and Miami in Florida.
"Initial reports that started the inquiry were from narcotics traffickers," a federal prosecutor announced during a press briefing on Thursday.
Some of the officers had accepted bribes between $20,000 (£15,000) and $37,000, the legal official noted.
The sting utilized covert national officers acting as drug dealers with simulated drugs, which the accused individuals allegedly believed to be 25kg (55lb) of cocaine.
"They sold out the community," stated a senior FBI official. "They betrayed the trust that the people had in them, shamed the badge and weakened the efforts of good law enforcement officers across this state and region."
The arrests take place as U.S. officials have begun aerial attacks in South America against suspected narcotics criminals.
